Lies, Rags, and Riches
by EsperLady
Summary: He was getting “old” and needed someone to take his place when he retires. Not me. No, a man. One to be my… Spira’s King. Cid wants me to get married. / AU. GippalxRikku Read&Review, pleaseee. Rated to be safe, 'kay? / HIATUS!
1. Escape

Gomen ne! I haven't been here for a while; neither has Chrissy-chan, but whatevers. SO; I have written a little GippalxRikku story here. I've decided to make this story rather long. So chapter two will be up as soon as I get a few reviews. I still needa think of everything, ya know? So, 'scuse any spelling and grammar errors here. X.x I'm not that good at anything; as you should know. Also, I'll have the Al Bhed translations at the BOTTOM OF EVERY CHAPTER. 'Kay? Good. Now let's get this started, ne?

**Pairings**; Gippal x Rikku

**Length**; 4, 318 words

**Disclaimer**; Sadly, I do not own Final Fantasy; Squeenix does. Kay? If I did, Rikku and Gippal would be together forever. Hehe.

--

. C H A P T E R . O N E .

--

Sure, sure. Being a princess is such an amazing life-style. You have servants everywhere. You've got whatever you need just at your fingertips. All you have to do is say the word. It's always been (and probably will be) as simple as that, y'know? But Yevon…

Being a princess is definitely NOT what it's cracked up to be.

Princess Rikku. Or, even Lady Rikku. Dear Spira, how many times have people called me that before? Sure, when I was little, I did enjoy getting all that attention from people. It was nice, I suppose. But after a while, it got annoying. I didn't want to be known as _Princess Rikku_. I'd rather be just Rikku. Or Riks! Something like that.

My cousin, Yuna (or Yunie, as I call her), lives in a place called Radiant Garden. I can visit her sometimes, but she—just like me—is a Princess. Her dad, Lord Braska, is the ruler of that place. And here, in Spira, my dad, Cid, rules Spira. Though the Al Bhed and the Yevon people've had their differences, we've settled them all a long time ago. So long ago, I wasn't even born. But whatever. So basically, the Al Bhed aren't treated like scum anymore. No more stupid fights and everything. The Yevon people've accepted us even _if _we use machina. And since my dad's like the leader of the Al Bhed and everything, he's managed to become a leader of Spira. Or King of Spira

Being the daughter of the King made me the princess. So that's what I was.

Princess Rikku.

My seventeen years of life weren't bad. I wasn't spoiled. I did treat everyone nicely. I've had to take "lessons" from Raine (one of my caretakers in the castle I live in) about how to act sophisticated and whatnot; acting like a princess and stuff. And it's a hell of a lot of work!

When I was little, I remember my father taking me out just for a small walk. I was about five years old then. And when we passed a few people, they looked at us in awe. And that was only because we were, well, royalty. But I was little then. The only people I'd seen were the maids and the other people who worked in the house. On occasions, I saw my cousin Yunie. Everyone was dressed up nicely and elegantly; even us little kids. We had frilly, puffy dresses on at the age of four!

So when I saw those other people, I was confused. Didn't everybody dress like us? They wore clothing that looked similar to rags, some parts were even torn. The once bright colors faded away after washing the fabric too many times. It wasn't revolting. Rather… it was more shocking.

I'd asked my father about that later, and he told me that they weren't like us. We were one of the "special" people. We had more Gil then them only because he (Cid) ruled Spira.

Sometimes I wish I was like one of the simpleton. One of the little townsfolk we have. It didn't really seem hard. Not _all _of them were rich; I knew that for sure. But, life couldn't be _too_ bad, could it? They just had to work. Have jobs and stuff. Like working on machina!

And Shiva; did I love machina.

It was… a guilty pleasure of mine, you can say. Since my father's good at machina, he does have his own company. Collaborating with other Al Bhed around Spira, they make machina for everyday use. Simple, basic, machina that we've always had. And my dad has a little factory-type-thing where he helps with everything. Since I'm a _girl_, I'm not supposed to work with machina. The fact that I'm a princess didn't even help. So here I was. A little kid with a big interest in machina.

And what did I do?

I snuck out.

I'd sneak into the factory (I've been doing this for a lot of years, now) and tinker with some of the toys. The guys there thought it was cute. So I'd made them promise not to ever, ever tell my dad. And they didn't. Even to this day. I still go there now, even at seventeen years old. I help some of the workers when my dad's not around. And it's fun. But I always remember to wash myself after that. I could have some oil streaks on my face and my dad would simply freak if he saw them.

So here I am. Royal Princess Rikku. Seventeen years old. And, to my—err—misfortune, single. It's kind of hard getting a boyfriend _if _you're the daughter of a King. Cid wants to "keep an eye on me" as he so puts it. But every time I hear that, I just roll my eyes.

And so, being that my little "status" has been single for seventeen-straight-years, Cid's decided to do the unexpected. I knew a day like this would come, eventually. But… does it matter what **I **have to say in this? Does it matter on whether I actually want to wait a little longer? Does he have to rush this?

No. Nothing I say matters. And yes, he has to. He was getting "old" and needed someone to take his place when he retires. Not me. No, a man. One to be my… Spira's King.

Cid wants me to get married.

--

"WHAT?" I shrieked. It wasn't everyday your father had told you this. Especially when you had a father who barely let you look at a guy without questioning you if you're interested in him. I mean, come _on_! I just look at a person. Big deal! But no, he has to make a big deal of everything. He says it's only to protect me, but still!

My eyes locked onto my father. He wasn't kidding. Was he? The look on his face… Shiva, it wasn't an oh-yeah-I'm-just-joking one, it was an I'm-dead-serious look.

My jaw dropped. Anger boiled inside of me. This was WEIRD. He was just expecting me to pick some guy I didn't even know and marry him? Just for the sake of Spira? Oh my Yevon. Things were certainly not going my way today.

"VYDRAN! I'm only _seventeen_—" I told him, emphasizing my age. "—I don't _want _to get married yet!" Well, that was **partially **true. Of course I wanted to be married sometime soon. But, with someone I loved. That's how marriage SHOULD be.

Just look at everyone else in the village! It was all _love _that brought them together. Not a father…

Cid just waved his hand at me. "Yes, _but_, I'm getting old—"

"Obviously…" I muttered angrily.

My dad ignored that comment and just continued. "—and I need someone to take my place. That's why yer gonna have ta get married." He said nodding. "It's fer the good of Spira if they have a new, n' young leader. Now, I've already made a selection of a few men that you can—"

I never heard the rest. I didn't bother on trying to here it anyways. I just… blanked out. I couldn't hear him talking. All I could hear was my thoughts inside. And those thoughts were telling me to kill him. I almost considered doing so for a second. But there was nothing to attack him with.

Me.

Married.

With someone.

Someone I don't even know.

Thinking about that caused me to scream.

_Loudly_.

"VYDRAN!" I shrieked again. My hands balled into fists at my sides. "YOU EXPECT ME TO **MARRY **A GUY I DON'T EVEN KNOW?!"

He looked at me dumbfoundedly. "That's a more… blunt way to put it. But yeah; yes I am." He said. And that's all he said. He continued to talk about how he had got a few men and he just needed me to pick one of them. It was all I heard before I stormed out of the room.

He called after me. But hell, I didn't care.

I just walked out.

--

A few of the maids looked at me. Some of the gardeners did so as well. But I ignored them all and kept walking. I walked into the big valley (well, it's like a valley anyways) we have in the back of the castle, and just kept walking. It was hard, in those shoes I had to wear. And wearing a dress was no easy thing either; so I stumbled here and there, but I kept walking, despite the pain. I wound up at the fountain a long time afterwards. It was my favorite place (other than the factory) to be. No one came here. Except for the garden workers, that is.

I sat by the edge of the fountain and let my hand dip into the cool liquid. I pulled it back immediately as it touched the water though. Jeez, was it cold. But as my hand adapted to the temperature, I let it go back in; moving my hand so tons of ripples formed in the water. It always seemed to soothe me. Pops said that my mom would do that. She'd bring me here and put my hand in the water, just moving it back and forth. I'd calm down when she'd do that. And it still worked now.

I looked at my reflection in the water and tilted my head slightly. Little drops were falling down, and I looked up. A little rain drop plopped against my nose. More soon fell after that and I closed my eyes.

It was times like this that I would enjoy.

But Cid'll kill me if I got wet. So I took off my shoes and held them both in one hand, the other holding up the lower part of my dress so I can run freely across the grass. The water droplets made the grass colder and slippery. I skidded across them at times, but made it back safely.

Safely and wet.

Not soaking wet.

I put my shoes on and ran inside. Maybe Cid just gave up waiting for me? He'd probably be at the factory. It seemed like I was in the clear.

I stepped into my room. It was all the way on the third floor. I had a pretty good view of everything there. My room wasn't a frilly pink-princessy color. But it was a nice shade of yellow and green. Those two were my absolutely favorite colors. Though, my dad didn't allow any dresses of mine to be those colors. They're always either a pink, puce, or purple color. Something more… feminine.

It sickened me.

I closed the door behind me and went into my closet. I needed a **dry **dress. So, I picked out the first thing I saw. It was pretty much a normal one. Something you might wear at a party, or whatever. It was a dark pink color; with little sleeves with puffs at the end, the bottom was all frilly and white. Though, I disliked it, I wore it anyways. It wasn't like I had anything else to wear anyways. When I finished changing, I put my hair in a messy bun, with little braids falling out and bangs hitting against my face. (A/N: She looks a bit like herself in Final Fantasy X, but she has the beads and braids in her hair, instead of what she had in that game.) I sighed. My face was still wet, so the little pieces of hair clung to my face. It was annoying but I decided not to do anything about it.

I plopped on my bed and looked up at my ceiling. What would it be like to just NOT be a princess for one day? I'd really like to do that. Then, maybe I'd be able to actually have fun around here. Sneaking out into the factory was cool, yeah, but troublesome at times too.

Then I got thinking about the townspeople again. What would it be like to be like them? What would it be like to live the way they do?

I smiled. That would be nice.

But I didn't get to think for long, since I drifted away into sleep shortly after that.

--

Raine came in my room, knocking on my door frantically. Was there trouble? When she found me sleeping, however, she looked relieved. I woke up as soon as she entered my room.

"We thought you were missing!" She gasped.

I blinked. Missing? Didn't anybody see me come back inside the castle? Oh, well, it didn't matter anyways. Raine hugged me and walked out the door, saying: "Dinner's ready downstairs if you'd like." before she left.

Dinner? How long was I sleeping?

I jumped off of the bed and rushed downstairs. I was _starving_.

--

Dinner wasn't too bad. The food, of course, was great. But just… being there: it wasn't bad. Cid was a little mad that I left it was kind of awkward. We didn't talk much, to my happiness, but he did tell me everything he said again.

"Pops…" I groaned. "What if I don't _want _to marry?" I asked him.

Cid laughed and just patted my head, as if I was a pet. "Sure, sure."

My eyes like popped out of my head. Was he kidding me? Did he _not _believe me? Well; apparently so! I really wanted to kill him again.

--

I woke up the next day completely relaxed. It was good to just sleep the day away. Or, rather, everything that happened yesterday. And as I slept and dreamt, I had a fantastic idea. What if I was to spend a day out in the public? That would be pretty fun! Cid was busy today, he told me this after dinner. He said he was going to be busy today, spending a lot of time in the factory. Which would be a-okay with me, since I was going to go out to my… err,_ people_?

Raine came in my room to find getting ready to go out. She blinked and tilted her head to the side. "Lady Rikku, where are you going?" She asked curiously.

I turned to her and flashed her a smile. "Somewhere." I replied quickly.

Raine nodded. "Shall I get the carriage?" She asked.

I shook my head. "Nah, I'm walking."

A gasp came from the female and I laughed a bit. "Sheesh; calm down. Nothing's gonna happen." I reassured her, still laughing a bit.

Though she nodded, I could see the worry in her eyes. It was kind of cute, though. She watched over me just as if she was my mother. It was nice to have someone like that.

I departed from the castle and began to walk. My dress today was a purple color. It was easier to walk in, since it didn't go all the way down to the floor. I had my hair up in the usual style (A/N: her hair-style in X-2) and little chocobo feather earrings to accompany my ears. I loved Chocobos. I'd go to Mi'ihen and ride them there whenever I could get the chance.

Everything was going fine. I was walking further and further away from the castle. More towards the nearest town to us. Djose. It wasn't poor; nor was it rich. It was just in the middle. So my dad had told me anyways. He said that there where some Al Bhed that lived there. Not all of them were good with machina, he added.

My eyes widened as I looked at the place. It was really… something. I've never seen a place like this before. The place looked a bit bleak, but with the sunlight, it looked lively. Maybe it was just the landscape…

I smiled in awe.

Maybe this was going to be _much _better than being back at the castle.

--

The hours quickly passed by. I stopped (more like the people stopped me) to say hi to some of them. It was like they had never seen a princess before. Maybe they actually hadn't? Nighttime quickly fell upon Djose. And I was lost. It wasn't like me, really. But since I had no past knowledge of this place before, I was already bound to lose my place if I didn't have anyone to help me with my way here.

I pouted. This wasn't good. Not only was I lost; but it was nighttime too. Cid should be finished with whatever he's doing at the factory anytime soon now!

Most people were indoors now. It was time to put the kids to sleep anyways. I didn't want to bother them just so they can tell me where to go. So I kept walking. I managed to walk all the way into this field. There was grass everywhere. It reminded me of the valley back at the castle. So I just plopped down onto the grass and looked up. There were a lot of stars out tonight. It was beautiful. It was nothing in comparison to what I've seen back at the castle.

Though it was cold, I stayed there for some time. It was peaceful. I'd really like to spend more and more time here. Being cooped up at the castle wasn't that good. It wasn't fun.

I closed my eyes and rested there. I thought I was alone; but I was proven wrong quickly after.

A pair of feet shuffled towards me. I could hear the sound of twigs breaking underneath the other person's feet. I moved my head, opening my eyes to find who had come here. And all I could do was let my jaw drop.

It was a guy. And Spira, was he something.

He had blonde hair (just like me; maybe he was an Al Bhed?) that was kind of spiky. He was _definitely _older than me. He had an eye-patch on his left eye (if you looked at him) and wore clothes like the rest of the people around here. Not too shiny and stuff, simple and a bit ragged. But on him, it looked good.

When he saw me, I guess he could've thought the same thing. But, not on whether I looked "good" or not, but "what was a princess doing here?" Somewhere along those lines, I think.

He tilted his head to the side and raised a brow. (This almost made me swoon) "What're you doing here?" He asked. It was almost like he wanted me to leave. True, I was kind of disappointed at that, but I didn't show it.

But what I didn't understand, was why he wasn't calling me _Lady Rikku_, or _Princess Rikku_. Or anything fancy-shmancy! I did get a little… mad, but I shook it off. I have always wanted to not be called by those two names. But not being called by any name was kind of weird.

"I—uhm…" I paused. What was I supposed to say? Did it actually matter? Wait; why am I actually **worrying **about this? "I came here to check this place out." I finally said.

He nodded and came closer, sitting down right next to me. "Really? It's not like we ever get a princess just 'round here. It's kinda... odd, I guess." He said. His attention was focused up at the sky. Mine, was directed on him.

"That's odd." I said. "Well then," I grinned. "Then you must be honored to have me here." And then I grimaced at that comment. That sounded like such a Princess-y thing to say. So stuck-up and conceited. Shiva, I should've died right then and there.

But he chuckled instead of giving this huge speech of how he actually WAS honored. He turned to me and grinned. "Sure, sure." My eye's caught onto his. Even in the dim moonlight, I could see the spiral pupil in his eye. He was definitely an Al Bhed. "So, Princess, do you know _my _name?" He asked me grinning.

I shook my head, blushing slightly. "I wish," I admitted laughing.

He laughed with me and grinned; pointing his thumb towards himself, he spoke again. "It's okay. My name's Gippal." He said.

'_Gippal'_ I thought. _'I like it.'_

I smiled and nodded. "Right. I'll remember that, Gippal."

Gippal grinned. Oh, I really liked it when he did that. "Right, so uh, Lady Rikku—"he began, but I stopped him. I placed my hand up and shook my head.

"No. Don't call me that."

"Princess Rikku?"

"Nope."

"Rikku?"

I paused. Was that what I wanted? I nodded and smiled. "Yeah, just Rikku."

Gippal raised a brow and tilted his head to the side. "Why's that?" He asked me. I sighed.

"I hate people calling me by that. All they see me as is… that. Princess Rikku. Or Lady Rikku. I want something **different**." I explained. "Rikku's fine… I guess. But I want something unique. Something that no one ever called me." I added.

He paused. Gippal placed a hand on his chin and looked deep in thought. He was probably thinking of how weird I am. Or maybe thinking of a way to get the hell out of here.

"Cid's Girl."

I blinked in confusion. What in Spira was this man talking about? "Um, what--?"

"Cid's Girl." He repeated. A smile formed on his lips and he nodded. "Yeah, Cid's Girl. That's what I'll call ya." Gippal declared happily.

Cid's Girl? That was… certainly something. I was Cid's little girl. His daughter. I smiled. This was what I've always wanted. And that was probably the best thing anyone could ever call me.

I grinned and nodded. "That's freaking cool!" I exclaimed in delight.

Gippal laughed. "Not very princess-like, eh?" He said nudging me with his elbow. I giggled and nodded. "Well, it's not like I have to put up the princess-y act all the time." I told him.

He laughed and looked up at the sky. "Anyways, what're you doing out here. Isn't the 'King' expecting his daughter back home?" Gippal asked me.

Oh. No.

He was right! Cid was probably expecting me to be back at the castle right now. It was getting pretty late now; considering the fact that the sky had darkened quite a long time ago. I gasped and stood up abruptly. "You're right." I replied. I bit my lip and looked around.

Crap.

And even now I was still lost. Sensing my anxiousness, Gippal stood up too. He was _tall_. Like, really tall. Sheesh. Now, I'm not short. I'm just… five feet and two inches for crying out loud. This guy… he was almost six feet tall, I think.

"Lost?" He asked.

I pouted and crossed my hands in front of my chest. "Maybe." I said.

Gippal laughed and gestured for me to follow. "C'mon, I'll getcha back home." He said.

I know I shouldn't trust strangers. I know I shouldn't go somewhere without my father's permission. But this was my only way to get out of here. And besides; maybe Cid'll like the idea that I got out and away from the castle. And, I made a new friend too!

But, Gippal seemed nice. He sure was nice anyways. So what could I lose?

He turned around and grinned. He was a bit far away from me, only because I stopped to think. Waving he smirked.

"Geez, Cid's Girl, don't tell me you can't walk in that dress. Hurry your royal ass and follow me."

And I just grinned and followed.

--

. E N D . C H A P T E R .

Al Bhed Translations;

Vydran - Father

**Oh dear; that was quite a long chapter from me. Hahas. Anyways, that's chapter numero UNO. If I get a few reviews, I'll put the second chapter up soon. I promise. Each chapter's quite long, so it might take me a while. No rushing.**

**:D**

**PLEASE READ & REVIEW. I will SERIOUSLY appreciate this. : No flaming though; I dun want to have any meanies here. Yeah. :O SO PRESS THE LITTLE BUTTON IN THE LEFT CORNER THAT SAYS SUBMIT REVIEW, YOU PRESS THE **_**GO**_** BUTTON. YES? DO IT. IT MAKES YOU SMARTER. REALLY. :D**


	2. Intoxicating

Alright. Well, I got _three _reviews so far for it. And that was all I needed. I suppose you kiddies are awaiting the second part. You know, I actually was squealing while writing this. I had to like picture the things in my head and debate whether or not I should put them in. And, I kinda have to act those things out, by myself, to get the feel of the character. I'm just a weird writer like that, ne?

Maybe as I get further into the story, I'll put a Gippal's point of view. What do you think? Lolz. I sound like a teacher. :D

FinalxKingdom: Why thank you. Hah; you were my first reviewer! –gives you a cupcake- Thanks. I don't really like the after the game Gippal-Rikku stories _so _much. True, they're my favorite pairing, but I wanted to write something different. A lot of stories here are based on what happens after the defeat of Vegnagun. I just wanted to be unique. :)

YouHitMyHeart101: Awwies, thanks. If I could, I would hug/glomp/tackle you right now. Haha. And yes! I will continue now! :D

**Disclaimer**; I still do not own the characters T.T

(By the way; the hovers are like the hovers in X-2. If you go to Mi'ihen [from where you enter from Luca] and ask one of the people for a ride on their hover, it's like that one. 'Kay? I know there are other places which offer hovers, but that's the only place that came into mind. Haha.

ALSO. I'M TERRIBLY SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT. I'll try not to do this. School's a drag. Seriously. It's kinda short, but the next one will be a little longer, I promise! :] Also, if you guys have some ideas, feel free to tell me! I mean, I have the story all planned out, but some improvising would be greatly appreciated! )

-**editeditedit**-

Oh goodie! Two mo reviews! x] Right.

Sakura_Lisle: Oh thank you! I might actually put that in somewhere in the story.

Heixirai: Lol. You don't have to wait any longer! Gah. Here it is... finally.

--

. C H A P T E R . T W O .

--

Gippal led me to his hover. It wasn't like a carriage, I'll tell you that. I've never been in a hover before. I'd only tinkered with little machina at the factory. Like some air conditioners and CommSpheres. Did you know a little kid named Shinra made them? I've heard he's really smart. I've never met him, but my dad works with him to make more CommSpheres around Spira. I bet you he'll be as rich as us one day.

Anyways, I got on the hover. It was kind of hard to stay on it, since there were no seats other than the person who's driving it. But Gippal had modified the hover to place in coordinates. This way, he could just relax and the hover would find its way to the place.

Kind of cool, huh?

I grinned and let the breeze blow against me. My hair flew as I did so. So did my dress. But since it was really long, it didn't fly everywhere. Thank Yevon for that.

I watched as Gippal moved towards the seat and placed in the coordinates for my place—the castle. The hover started up quickly and began to go towards our destination. I hung onto one of the wings of the machina and grinned. Now this I could get used to.

Gippal looked over to me and laughed a bit. "Enjoying yourself?" He asked.

I only nodded in response. I was sure as hell enjoying myself. Today was one of the best days I've ever had. The air felt cool around me. It was probably getting more and more darker as the seconds went by, I think. It sure seemed that way.

But in a matter of minutes, the hover came to a halt. We had finally arrived. This wasn't good news to me. I didn't _want _to leave. I wanted to stay. Forever. I didn't want to go back to that place I call home. Compared to Djose, it was nothing. In my opinion anyways. I'm sure people would absolutely beg to differ.

"Alright Cid's Girl, we're here." Gippal announced. I laughed and jumped off of the hover, only to lose my balance as I hit the ground. I stumbled over my own two feet and tripped.

"Owwie!" I squeaked.

Gippal quickly rushed over and helped me up. His hand took mine and he pulled me up from the ground. And dear Spira, it was the best few seconds yet. My hands weren't small, nor were they big. His were strong and big. And having his hand around mine just felt so nice. Not to mention, when I got up, I kind of collided with his chest. My cheek came into contact with it. It was sturdy. He was pretty strong, then. Oh, I just wondered what he'd look like without his shirt off…

Wait, no! Bad Rikku! Stop thinking like that. Sheesh. Sometimes, even I didn't understand myself.

"Aha, thanks." I managed to say after a while.

He laughed and let go of my hand (darn!) and started to walk away towards the castle. When he saw it in all it's entirety he inhaled sharply. It was like a gasp… I think. Shaking his head he turned to me. Gippal smiled. "You actually live here?" He asked me.

I nodded and grinned. "Yeah." I joined him and looked at it. It wasn't **that** big. Was it?

Gippal smiled and patted my had. "Right so, guess I'll see you 'round then?" He asked. Then he quickly bit his lip. "If you're ever in Djose, that is." He added quickly. Was he nervous? Oh! Even then he looked gorgeous!

"Yeah, sure." I answered smiling happily. I placed my hands behind me, locking them with my fingers. I rocked back and forth on my heels, and looked up at him. I've only seen him when it's dark. Maybe I'll find him again when it's daytime. I wonder what his face looks like then…

Gippal seemed happy with that. He grinned and gave me a wave and began to walk towards his hover. I waved back and grinned. "Kuuthekrd, Gippal!" I wasn't so sure if he was Al Bhed or not. Maybe he was, but he didn't speak it. Either way, I took a shot.

He turned around and smirked. "'Hekrd, Cid's Girl."

So he _did _know how to speak Al Bhed.

I saw him get in and leave. The hover rode off back to Djose. Which left me to deal with Cid.

But I didn't even make one step into our castle. Cid came marching out with a few of the guards and pointed at me. "Rikku!" He said angrily.

I bit my lip and sighed. "Yes?" I managed to squeak.

His anger seemed to only flare up at that. "What in Spira have you been doing? It's almost **midnight**!" He roared. Cid was now only a few inches away from me. I could tell he was _really mad_.

I slapped my forehead and pouted. "I didn't think—" I began, but he cut me off.

"Of course you didn't THINK!" Cid exclaimed.

"—that you'd care if I went exploring!" I finished.

"What do you mean I wouldn't care?" He asked. "OF COURSE I WOULD. SOMETHING COULD'VE HAPPENED TO YOU!" Cid yelled. "You don't know _anything_, for crying out loud! You could've gotten lost!"

Now _I _was angry. Sure, he could be mad I came home late. Sure, he could be mad because he didn't know where I was going. But really. Saying I didn't know anything? True, I did get lost; but I found my way back, didn't I? I almost snarled at this. Now, it was my turn to be angry.

I leaned forward, my scowl matching his. "Alright, listen here, Pops. I was **FINE**. I DIDN'T GET HURT. No one ATTACKED ME. I was _**FINE**_." I yelled back. "I got back here with MY FRIEND. OKAY?" I continued. "Now if you're DONE, then I'm going to go to sleep. Good**night**, Vydran." I finished. With that, I stormed away from him.

Cid was astonished at this. Oh, I could tell. His jaw dropped as soon as I stopped talking. The guards around him were kind of shocked too. One of them was trying not to laugh.

I felt happy with myself. I was proud I didn't let myself get yelled at by him. I entered inside the castle and walked up to my room. The people inside looked relieved to see me. Raine was in my room, waiting. When she found me, she smiled.

"Oh Lady Rikku, I'm happy you've returned!" She exclaimed. I could tell she was. Raine was suffocating me with a hug. I hugged her back and grinned. "You know I wouldn't leave!" I replied, "Now, I'm going to go to sleep, 'kay?" I said. Raine quickly nodded and said "Goodbye" and left.

As soon as I closed my eyes and laid on the bed, I fell asleep.

--

Darkness. There was just darkness all around me. I couldn't see anything. I was scared. How could this happen? I didn't wander far into an unknown place!

Where in Spira was I? I looked around. The walls, if they _were _walls, where black. Just pitch black. Just like the ceiling. It felt weird. An eerie chill blew past me and I shivered. This was majorly weird. If only I had someone here to help me. Someone to save me.

I bit my lip. I was in the same spot for a while. And now the ground, as I saw it, was dark. Black. It was just as dark was everything around me. What would happen if I took a step forward?

I moved my foot to the spot in front of me. The tip of my toe touched it. "Thank Yevon." I sighed happily. It was solid. I could step on it. So, I walked to it. But when both of my feet stepped on it, I fell. The ground shattered and I just fell through.

I screamed.

But nothing came out from my mouth.

I tried to grab on to something.

But I couldn't see.

Was this the end of me?

"_You're such a klutz, Cid's Girl."_

--

My eyes burst open. Raine was sitting beside me, shaking me violently. Was she screaming too? For a second, I couldn't hear anything. But the noise quickly came into my ears. I heard screaming. But it was my voice.

I clamped my mouth shut and shot up, sitting upright on my bed. The screaming stopped, but, I was shaking. I looked at my hands. They were still shaking with fear. I looked over at Raine. She looked at me with concern.

"Are you okay, Lady Rikku? I heard you screaming, and I tried to wake you up. But you never awoke 'till now." She said quickly. Crap. She was worried about me. It was one thing when someone else was worried about me, but when Raine was, I felt terrible. She was like my mother. I've shared so many secrets with her, and to have her so concerned about me felt so… well, I don't even know!

I nodded and put on a small smile. "Yeah… it's just a dream." I said. I waved for her to go and she nodded. Raine left and closed the door behind her.

I closed my eyes. That was _Gippal's _voice. It wasn't really a mystery why I'd have a dream about him. I mean, I was falling head-over-heels for him, right? But he wasn't rich or anything. I mean, I didn't care about that; but Cid probably did. He wanted someone right for me. Which is probably why he chose all these stuck-up pretty-boys from other places. All of them were rich people, like us. He didn't choose anyone who wasn't rich. They all had _tons _of Gil.

I looked around my room. "At least I can see it." I murmured. I stretched my arms and climbed out of bed. I stretched and yawned slightly. After yesterday, I wouldn't mind going out again. Even if it meant having Cid yell at me later. As long as I would have the slightest chance of seeing Gippal again, then it was worth it.

--

I skipped breakfast and snuck out of the house, changing into my clothes before I left of course. There was only one thing I had on my mind. Just one simple thing.

"Gippal,"

He was intoxicating me. And it was weird. Absolutely weird! I just met him. Almost twenty-four hours ago I met him, and I was going head-over-heels for that man. It was (hopefully - though, I doubted it) a "crush" and nothing more. But could I really deny it? He was just so... handsome! So handsome I couldn't even describe it! I'm sure he's broken so many hearts before, with just one simply glance at a girl... but the truth of the matter was: he had mine, and he didn't even know it.

I knew Vydran would get mad at me for running off again. However, I didn't care. I needed to be with him. Today, tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the—

Well, you ge tthe point.

In a new lavender dress, I scurried off, far away from my haven: my castle, and went back in the same route I took in the hopes of finding the man who's stolen my heart: Gippal.

Al Bhed Translations;  
Vydran - Father  
Kuuthekrd - Goodnight  
'Hekrd - 'Night

**Not as long as I hoped it would be... but here it is! Finally, hm? It's been a while. I do apologize. You have every right to throw machina at me. :/ **

**... Well. Not really.**

**Hah. **

**Anyways, if there are some spelling mistakes, I'm sorry. This was made over a period of time, so yeah. I skimmed over it for some Al Bhed errors and things out of place. Please read and review~; thoughts and comments are always appreciated. **

**IMPORTANT! VOTE:**

**Should I put in a Gippal's Point of View later on in the story?  
I thought it might spice it up _just _a bit. I do have it in mind for this one specific part, however, I would like everyone's opinion.**

**Or shouldn't I?  
Maybe you guys would rather NOT listen to Gippal's point of view...which means you're crazy :B Ahah. Just kidding. Everyone has different opinions; I just want to listen to them all to debate on this.**

**Thank you for those who fav'ed this and reviewed. I do appreciate this. ^^**


	3. SavePoint

**Author's Note**;

Arghhhh. Well, well, well. You know how I said that I'd update with the next chapter sooner? Haha. Yeah. I, uh, lied? ;-; Sorry. My laptop is under MAJOR problems at the moment, which pisses me off so much. It's my whole life, right there, so basically: I'm screwed without it. I have some of the third chapter there, and I can't add onto it until my laptop is better. -_- It won't be out as soon as I thought... and I know, I know. You guys probably wanna kill me, and that's understandable. This has happened to me with SO many fanfictions I've read before, and then when I go to the next chapter, it's all: **Hiatus :]**, and hasn't been updated for years…

I can promise you that I won't abandon this for years, or months. I'll (hopefully) have my laptop back soon enough, which means I'll put up that chapter. So no worries, ne?

It will take longer than I hoped, for it to be finished. Ah, anyways, it has to be up at least by then. If not, I'm really sorry. Life is a pain in the dressphere. (lmfao.)

But I'm not going to be mean or anything. I'll be _amazing_ and grant you kiddies with a special treat: a **preview**! Like you know those previews of movies that show up before whatever movie you're seeing does? Yeah, like that. But it's in words. And it's a bit longer. And it might not take a few minutes. Or maybe it will. –rambles-

Ahah. Enjoy!

The FULL third chapter will be up whenever I can. You guys can keep reviewing for previous chapters and this little sad excuse for a preview as well. :D Woo!

I've FINALLY decided to add on Gippal's point of view. Eheh. I thought it'd be good. And a few people had said it would be a great idea as well. Anyways, the REAL chapter three will have this in it, but it might be different. I do, of course, have to edit it for grammar errors, and things that I think are retarded. Alrighties? This thing'll just give you this gist of it, or something. Whatever. Enough ramblin'!

V-chan of VCR(:

--

. C H A P T E R . T H R E E .

_**[**_ **Gippal's POV **_**]**_

**_--_**

Being born into a rich family, made life much easier. Being born into a middle-classed family, was okay. Then… there was the _poor_ family. And Yevon, that wasn't exactly something most people would like to be in.

We all strive to become something. We all usually have life dreams, or goals, to become something far more better than having an average life. Like becoming a doctor, or a knight, or a songstress, like that really hot one. Lenne, was it? She was really, really, something. But it's not like that happened in one night. She did practice, I think. And my father has this "dream" of making a machine faction. It's kind of small right now, because we don't have much money. I don't know if we ever will. At the rate of what the company's actually earning, I think he'll have to close it. We can fix all this machina, and make some more... But that doesn't mean we don't have competition. King Cid's got his own faction. And it's pretty much stealing all the business. After all, they do make a pretty good job on all the fixing, and they make machina too.

And us? No. To make machina we need parts. For parts we need money. For money we need lots of customers. For customers, we need to be really good. Which, unfortunately, brings us back to the money issue.

Except this one night happened to change it all, my dad said. He had an amazing idea.

An amazing idea that involved me.

An amazing idea that involved some girl.

An amazing idea that will get us a whole lot of money.

--

I came home that same night, after seeing Cid's Girl, and found myself in a whole lot of trouble. They (meaning my mom and dad) were yelling and ranting about how I shouldn't take off from work. And if you ask me, I don't really care! I mean seriously, I've been working there since I was nine. Nine. I was a freaking kid at that age. Don't get me wrong, I love machina. I love working on them. It's my pride and joy, and I do want to take over the business one day, when I can. But I need some fun from time to time to, right?

I looked at them with a bored stare. Did they honestly think I care? I'm the best guy my dad has at that machine faction, and he knows it. If I skip out sometimes, it's not going to kill the world. We don't get that many machina to be fixed, and if we do, then the other guys are completely clueless to how they're going to fix it. I'm the one who's usually helping them all. So if I want a break, then I deserve a break. Right?

"Gippal? Gippal! Did you hear that?"

My eye darted towards my dad. He had blonde hair, which was slowly but surely turning white. Though, he denied the whole thing. He had a dark yellow shirt on, with a big brown jacket, brown pants that had patches on them and black boots. I was almost like a "mirror" image of him. But I had a black eye patch, my jacket was dark red, and my shirt was light purple and sleeveless, and my pants and boots were black. I pulled it off much better than him, I think.

"Mmhm," I said. Truth be told, I didn't hear a word he said. But it was worth a shot, I guess. "Um… something about being… responsible?"

He threw his hands up into the air. "Fryd dra ramm ys E kuenk du tu fedr oui?!"

I rolled my eyes. Typical anger. This was what usually erupted from him after I said something wrong. My mom shook her head and patted my father's back, and then moved towards me, bending over to plant a kiss on my head. "E's kuenk du pat." She stated wearily and walked towards her room.

I gave a short wave. "Hekrd, Sudran," I said before returning my attention to my father. He was rubbing his hands across his face, as if trying to relieve some stress, or something. I was usually giving them "headaches" as they put it.

"Gippal. Where. Were. You?" My dad said rather calmly.

"Out – near that field… over there, somewhere." I replied shrugging. "I don't know it exactly, but I know where I was. Don't worry, I didn't do anything stupid this time," I added waving my hand. Jeez. Parent's are so paranoid sometimes. It's like every single detail must be to their standards, or whatever, and if not: you're screwed.

"Doing what?" He asked.

"Talking with Cid's Girl," My hand traced the scratches on the wooden table absentmindedly. That was a really cool nickname. Cid's Girl. It had some kind of touch to it. I didn't want to get all "buddy-buddy" with that girl, since I'd probably get prosecuted by her dad for even touching her arm. Though, she seemed kind of cool. Most famous people, from what I've heard, are all stuck up and want to associate with "their" people. Rikku seemed kind of different. She was nice. Spunky. And she definitely was not too bad-looking.

Vydran's brow furrowed in confusion. He looked at me and narrowed his eyes. I raised an eyebrow of my own and shrugged. "You know: _Princess_ Rikku?" I added. That nearly gave him a heart attack. His eyes widened and he looked at me incredulously. As if he was bewildered by the fact that someone with that high of a social status would even dare to look at me.

"You met her?" He stammered. It seemed like he was about to faint. I nodded and ran a hand through my hair.

"That I did,"

This information didn't seem to process in his mind. What the fiends? Was it **seriously** that hard to believe that I met her? Honestly! A growl escaped my lips and I rolled my eye at him. "I don't see what the big deal is," I said after a moment of silence.

My dad wasn't paying attention though. He seemed lost in thought, which got me even more pissed, because it was like this huge event because I hung out with Rikku. He finally looked up at me after a while and tilted his head. A plan was formulating in his head already. The glint in his eyes said so. "What, exactly, happened?" He asked.

So I told him every little detail. Except for a few minor things, like the obvious infatuation she probably had for me. I mean, Spira, she looked like she didn't want to let go of me, let alone step away from my body. It was kind of funny though. I have that effect on a _lot_ of girls, so I'm told.

When I was finished, he nodded and placed a hand underneath his chin, rubbing it back and forth. I tapped my fingers on the countertop, awaiting what he was going to say next. "So…" He murmured, still not looking at me.

"Yes?" I said, drawing out the word as long as I could.

"She said she wouldn't mind seeing you again, right…?" He added. I nodded and stretched my arms above my head. "Yeah, as long as she's in Djose,"

The little glint in his eye had come back, and it looked like it wasn't exactly so nice. He smiled and walked over to me. He patted my back and laughed a hearty laugh. I was confused. Really confused. It was like he had mood-swings! I just looked up at him and blinked.

"You know Gippal," He started, smiling widely. But by the looks of it, he didn't seem like he was genuine about it. "I've had a change of heart!" He declared. "You are not in trouble, my boy," My dad patted me again. I drew in my breath. There would be a catch somewhere…

"No, it's alright for you to see Princess Rikku again," He said. I snorted and shook my head.

"Spira, Vydran, it's not like I'm _dating_ her." I said rolling my eye.

"Do you think she'd LIKE for you to date her?" My dad said quickly. Evidently, I still did not follow him.

"Sure, I guess," I mused shrugging. At an afterthought, I laughed. "Hah. I mean, who wouldn't?"

He nodded and chuckled. "Gippal, I think I have a **wonderful** idea that I would love for you to carry out," He said, smiling from ear to ear. "And you know by that, I mean: _you have to_." A grin spread across his face after finishing that, and he walked away from me, only saying a quick "Goodnight" and marching off into the bedroom, with a happier demeanor than he had on before. This left me alone, at the table, with the light and the furniture as my only companion. What was he even talking about? I sighed and lay my head down against the table. This was ridiculous. Here I was, all alone, with my father who's probably come up with this world domination plan, and I had not a single clue what it was all about! Nothing. I knew nothing. But from that, I learned three things. One: I was needed for it. Two: It would have something to do with Rikku (probably). And three: I wouldn't like it.

I definitely wouldn't like it.

. E N D . C H A P T E R .

**Al Bhed Translations;  
**Fryd dra ramm ys E kuenk du tu fedr oui – What the hell am I going to do with you?  
E's kuenk du pat – I'm going to bed  
Hekrd – 'Night  
Sudran – Mother  
Vydran – Father


End file.
